Here are Top 3 frequently asked Retell Lecture questions in recent PTE Academic test (May 2020). 

1.Animal Behavior

We can ask two fundamental questions about animal behavior, they referred to as proximate and ultimate. Proximate questions are those concerned with the mechanisms that bring about behavior, ultimate questions are those concerned with the evolution of behavior. We can divide the proximate and ultimate questions into two sub- questions. For proximate, how does the behavior develop, and secondly what causes the behavior. For ultimate, you can ask how did the behavior evolve, and secondly what is the adaptive significance of the behavior what’s purpose. Together these comprise what are called Tinbergen’s four questions about animal behavior. Niko Tinbergen was one of the founding fathers of the study of animal behavior. These questions represent the different ways of studying animal behavior and understanding the difference between those four questions are fundamental to understanding behavior and indeed the whole of biology. How do we study animal behavior well that depends on the type of question we’re hoping to answer.

Two fundamental questions about animal behavior are referred to as proximate and ultimate.

2.Fish Leader

When you think of a leader, you may think of an individual who is above all bold. But a new study of fish called sticklebacks shows that shy individuals actually prefer to follow fish that are similarly timid. Researchers had trios of sticklebacks with known personalities play follow the leader. The fish were placed in a tank that had some plastic plants at one end and some food hidden at the other. In some of the groups, a bold fish and a shy fish acted as leaders, while another shy fish followed. And in other groups, it was a bold fish that did the following. The researchers recorded whether the follower sallied forth more frequently with the fish that was behaviorally similar or the one that was different. What they found is that shy fish were more likely to emerge from undercover when an equally wary fellow was already out there. Bold follower fish did not seem to care which leader they followed. Of course, no matter which fish a stickleback chose to stick with, the bold fish did lead more expeditions over the course of the experiment than their more retiring friends. That’s because the bold fish initiated more trips, regardless of who might be tailing them. The findings are in the journal Biology Letters. The researchers write that “when offered a choice of leaders, sticklebacks prefer to follow individuals whose personality matches their own, but bolder individuals may, nevertheless, be able to impose their leadership, even among shy followers, simply through greater effort.” We may soon see if such tendencies also hold true in humans, when Americans decide who they’ll follow in November. Unless, of course, something fishy happens.

Today we’re going to recount heroic tales of superhuman feats of strength, when in the face of disaster, some people are said to have summoned up incredible physical power to lift a car off of an accident victim, move giant rocks, or like Big John of song, single-handedly hold up a collapsing beam to let the other miners escape. Are such stories true? There are many anecdotes supporting the idea, but we’re going to take a fact-based look at whether or not it truly is possible for an adrenalin-charged person to temporarily gain massive strength. In proper terminology, such a temporary boost of physical power would be called hysterical strength. The majority of them are anecdotal, and interestingly not repeatable; in many cases, the person who summoned the superstrength later tried it again only to find that they couldn’t do it. Basically, what we have is a respectably large body of anecdotal evidence that suggests that in times of crisis, danger, or fear, some people have the ability to temporarily exercise superhuman strength.

3.Climate Change

Some adverse effects of climate changes to agricultural productions. Some lands are unsuitable for growing crops. There will be millions of people facing hunger in Africa in the near future. Climate change will result in less production and less food. It is difficult for developing countries to deal with climate change due to their financial status and other issues. There are many people living in hunger especially in Africa.

The climate change has devastating effects on world economy. The tropical areas on earth are dry and hot, and are originally not suitable for food production. The change of climate leads to extreme weather conditions such as floods and hurricanes, which exacerbates the food production.

As a result, it leads to a continuous decline in food supply annually around 10% to 17%. And this trend is perceived to be continuing in the future by 2070. The regions suffering the most will be some African countries.

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